Pro tips: Become a master of file requests

Sending files to lots of people — whether it’s an email attachment or a shared link in Dropbox — is generally straightforward. But collecting files from lots of people wasn’t always as easy. That is until now, with our recently introduced file requests feature. Just create a request, send out the link, and watch the files pour into your Dropbox. If you’re looking to get the most out of file requests, we have a few tips to help you collect like a pro.

Get files from anyone
Want to collect files, but don’t want to do tech support? File requests are the answer. When someone clicks your file request link, all they have to do is choose files from their computer, enter their name and email, and click Upload. That’s it — there’s no need to sign in, so anyone can add files, even if they don’t have a Dropbox account. It’s the perfect way to get files — like proposals from vendors — without having to walk people through the process.

Take on multiple projectsOrganizing the files you receive is easy — just create a separate file request for each project. Each request you create will have its own folder, and the files you receive will be collected into it. You can create as many file requests as you need, to help you keep files for each project in its own place.

Take on big projects
Say you want to collect videos people have shot over the years and put together a movie for a friend who’s getting married. Gathering those files used to mean either begging people to burn DVDs or settling for low-quality compressed versions. But with file requests, each submitter can upload files as big as 10 GB if you have a Dropbox Pro or Business account (2 GB for Basic accounts). That’s plenty of space to help you build your heartfelt cinematic opus.

And organize them your way
By default, we’ll create a subfolder for each request inside your “File requests” folder. But what if you’ve already got a project folder set up? When you create a new file request, you can choose any folder in your Dropbox to receive uploads. You can even change this folder after setup with just a few clicks.

Wrap things up on time
Running on a schedule? Dropbox Pro and Business users can set deadlines for file requests. They’re a great way to make sure everyone gets their files in before a due date, especially when you’re on a tight timeline. But let’s face it — a lot of times there are bound to be stragglers. Luckily, you can allow late uploads, giving submitters a grace period on however long you choose.

Now that you know the ins and outs of file requests, you’ll be gathering photos, videos, and docs like it’s nothing. Now go out there and put together your next great project!

Please note: Sometimes we blog about upcoming products or features before they’re released, but timing and exact functionality of these features may change from what’s shared here. The decision to purchase our services should be made based on features that are currently available.